Tuesday, February 25, 2014

We are supposed to be happy. It is our assignment to feel good. We are deserving, worthy of, and entitled to all the joy we can stand. May we continue doing things that make us happy, increasing our capacity for joy, and remember as we assist others on their journey, that they are not more important than we are.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. --Maya Angelou

When you bring forth that which is within you, that which is within you will save you. When you do not bring forth that which is within you, that which is within you will destroy you. --words of Jesus Christ according to the gnostic Gospel of Thomas

Dear Friends,

I remember when in the late 1990s, a group of 10 or so black and other women of color gathered at the home of a friend of mine who had a fibroid tumor. One of the wise wimmen there said she had a vision that this was happening because our friend was "carrying stories" within her. This was significant, since our friend was already a very prolific artist. Her "stories", mostly those of others, were already being told.

In Dr. Christiane Northup's major work "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom", she also said that endometriosis and similar dis-eases of women's reproductive organs were related to untold "stories."

I think when we hold in stories, we become ill. I also think holding untold stories within us creates addictions and compulsive behaviors.

I think when we don't share our stories, we become depressed.

Must we create art with every story we tell? No. But we must start talking. We must start writing. And we must keep dreaming, and paying attention to our feelings.

Stories are there for a reason. They need the air and the sunlight of our releasing them. They need to breathe just as much as we need our oxygen. They need to complete their beingness by having their existence acknowledged by more than just ourselves.

It is the profound wisdom and healing power of our stories that will turn against us if we don't allow them to be expressed.

When we share our stories, we empower ourselves and others. Our stories help others to feel part of a community. Our stories help us all feel less alone, less different, less messed up. Our stories help us all feel more intelligent, more empowered, more compassionate, more sexy, more liberated, more beautiful, more humyn.

What are your stories?What is the secret you don't want anyone to know?

What is the beauty you are too afraid to share?

How can you begin telling the truth, the whole truth, about your life today?

It begins with an acknowledgement of being.It begins with finding others who teach you fearless love.

Friday, February 21, 2014

I discovered yesterday that I could make ice cream in my blender, and it takes less than ten minutes! Simply blend some kind of cream or milk, some sugar and ice cubes for thickness. After having tried and run out of vanilla extract, I recalled how much I enjoy cinnamon ice cream, and when I couldn’t locate the cinnamon, reached for the five spice, which includes it and also has some exotic sweet spices like anise and clove to boot.

I used that, plus some cayenne for extra heat (thanks, Chocolat movie for introducing me to cayenne for desserts!), and was very pleased with the result. I hope you like it, too!

Pour liquids, sugar, spice, and/or salt into blender.Put the lid on, removing center piece to leave hole open in the middle. Turn blender on high and set it so that it keeps running on high. Put in three ice cubes at a time and watch the mixture until it gets thick enough to that of soft-serve ice cream. Turn blender off to taste periodically using long blender-safe spoon.

Serve right away. Do not store. Enjoy!

Helpful hints:

a)Making ice cubes of milk or cream make the ice cream even creamier

b)Experiment by adding different flavors, foods/fruits, seasonings, and spices.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

I received this question via Facebook messaging today and thought I’d share the answer with you all in case you sometimes wondered, too. Special thanks to Timothy Hannah, who asks:

“Who is your favorite guitarist and why?”

My favorite guitarist is the late Irish bluesman and former rocker Gary Moore. Early in his career, he played in rock bands, then in the last part of his career, he recognized he didn’t have the same energy to rock out and changed to blues, which was his mainstay and worked very well for him and was very appreciated by both his longtime rock and new blues fans. (For more about his career and technique, please visit https://www.google.com/#q=gary+moore.)

Here’s why Gary Moore is my favorite guitarist:

1)I’m partial to European soul, blues, and rock singer-songwriter, musicians, for many reasons including:

a)Their childhoods are filled with reading the literary classics in school. This continues through their teens and makes their lyric writing more developed than most American musical artists by comparison.

b)I’m into contrast, and I love what a British artist brings to a Marvin Gaye song, in large part because of the passion and appreciation they have for R & B in general and the artist in particular.

c)They’re different, hence exotic, exciting, and interesting to me.

2)He’s a triple threat: singer, songwriter, and guitarist.

3)His solos don’t stick to the melody. This is a major pet peeve of mine. When you’re playing a solo, I feel it should visit the entire scale and rarely re-visit the melody – instead only using the melody as a treat, an accent, or closure.

5)He and his (Irish) people have suffered. He allegedly was an active alcoholic (an alcoholic binge he allegedly took the night before is what contributed to the heart attack that took his life at age 58, on February 6, one day before my birthday in 2011. I don’t romanticize nor seek addiction in my favorite artists, but being in recovery myself (from food addiction/eating disorder and child sexual abuse), I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for artists who deal with severe addiction issues and still manage to have successful careers, romance, and family life, all of which Gary did. In addition to millions of fans worldwide, he left behind a long-time girlfriend and three children.

6)I love the tone of his guitar. He played a 1950s Signature Les PaulFender Stratocaster, one of my favorites, which another favorite musician, Stuart Matthewman, of the band Sade also plays. I discovered in my early teens that I much preferred the deeper, lower sounds of this guitar, as well as the various Fender Stratocasters that Stevie Ray Vaughan played, than I did the high, thin twangy sound of B.B. King’s “Lucille” model Gibson semi-hollow Epiphones , for example. I really like lower tones. Although I play mostly acoustic guitar and Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix played mostly electric, one thing we all have in common is we play heavier guage strings and tune our guitars one half step lower than standard tuning.

7)He uses virtuoso the way I like it. The only so-called virtuoso guitarists are the very few who used it to serve the song and get into it in a very fun and soulful way, for example Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan. I’m not interested in speed for the sake of speed. I’m not impressed. It seems largely masturbatory to me to watch a guy forever twiddling his strings as fast and for as long as he can. It’s not a turn on to me as a woman and explains why most of those types of guitar virtuosos have fan base made up mostly of young men. It’s sport, and not a sexy one. I really enjoy watching Gary Moore play, because it’s a passionate affair clearly marked by a spirit that moves him beyond technical skill. He hears the music and it plays him, sometimes it seems, rather than the other way around. Many fans of Gary Moore are women, although he also has the respect of male rock fans and blues aficionados.

8)He reminds me of my other favorite artists, and seems to have what they all have in one package. He has the sultry vocal control and spiritual union with his playing as Brazilian jazz singer, composer, and pianist Tania Maria does. He creates romantic atmosphere the way Sade does, but he does it without the stage lighting or decorations they use. He has the swagger of bass axman Sting but more humble. He has the abandon of George Benson. He’s got soul like Stevie Ray Vaughan but more maturity and technical skill.

9)He writes beautiful love songs and can rock out with the best of them.

So, that’s who my favorite guitarist is and all the reasons why. But you don’t have to take my word for why Gary Moore’s so great.

Here are two examples of what he brought to the stage, one hard rock/blues tune and one ballad.

The only difference between now and when you were younger and had more faith in your dreams is a few more steps the years add to your goals.You may have more failures under your belt, less energy, a mortgage, children, student loans, debt, etc., but that doesn't mean your dreams are any less able to come true. As with everything else, just figure out what arrangements are necessary to begin setting and reaching your goals. If the dream is in your heart, it's because it exists on a non-physical plane and awaits your help in bringing it to the physical. It already exists and chose you to make it happen! It's time to re-visit, re-examine, and re-evaluate your dreams - and maybe even change some of them. Then, get help to create and start working towards the goals to make it happen. Never regret any decisions, experiences, or failures you've had along the way. They've all been part of your life's journey and have led you to where and who you are today! :-) <3

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Happy 8th birthday to my niece S., and to my late sweetheart, Tom, who left this plane on March 15, 2013 and would have been a youthful 58! It’s so much easier to say this because he’s even more a happy part of my life now in spirit than he was before! (Read more about our spiritual relationship in my Wisdom Magazine article “Love Never Dies”: http://wisdom-magazine.com/Article.aspx/3115)

After doing my Kundalini yoga exercises today, I did a stopwatch meditation and wrote out my meditation notes and daily affirmations, all of which inspired me to share how I meditated. I hope it helps or entertains you!

Take a few deep breaths. Relax and listen to the music. Put yourself in the music, and get into the sounds and effects. Smile. When the smile fades, relax and imagine it continuing even though it may not look like it. When you remember to or feel like it, smile again, imagining a burst of sunshine coming through and healing your entire body from the inside, starting with your smile. Remember all the articles you’ve read or things you’ve heard people say about how smiling benefits one’s health and releases stress. Imagine all the best things are happening to you now as you smile and between smiles.

Drop into the feeling of having what you want right now.

Invite the angels into your practice. Ask them, with your thoughts, to show you how to get the most out of this meditation.

Whenever a fear arises, such as “I’m not doing this right”, or “What if I’ve forgotten something important”, relax and ask the angels to show you what to do next.

As you imagine what you would like, focus not on what you think you should have but on what would make you really happy, even if it looks really simple.

Do not allow thoughts of so-called “reality” or other limitations to affect your visualization.

Do not worry about wanting something too far in the future.

If you don’t know exactly what you want right now, simply start with gratitude.

Begin by noticing places in your body that you feel good. Give thanks for being comfortable in your body. Be grateful for all the places in your body that you have health.

As glimpses come to you of areas in your life where you could be more happy, imagine having those things and what it would feel like.

What would it feel like to have more money? A more loving romantic relationship? A better job? A more stimulating and supportive environment in your community? How would that feel?

How would you dress or look? Where would you go for fun? What types of friends would you have? How would you feel when you spoke with them on the phone or in persun?

Imagine all of those things, and drop into the feelings of having them all.

As you do that, continue taking deep breaths.

As you breathe in, imagine “taking in” and manifesting all that you desired in this meditation, bit by bit, and also in pleasantly surprising quantum leaps.

As you breathe out, imagine releasing and dismantling all that would block or delay having the things you asked for in this meditation.

Imagine you are healthier as a result of taking this time to rest, focus, cleanse and attract good things to your body and your life.

Thank God and the angels for their healing help and empowerment, and send a psychic kiss and hug to all the people you are closer to being in relationship, business, and community with as a result of having done this meditation.

Remember, you can call into your reality anything you want, as long as you believe, ask for help, and take guided action!

Friday, February 14, 2014

Just taking some time to wish you an annual Happy Valentine’s Day, or as poly author and coach Kamala Devi says, “Be My Non-Possessive Valentine”!

I am grateful to continue my journey of learning the game and laws of free love, romance, and all those entail.

I am experiencing there is an abundance of anything we believe we can have and can work for. I am learning the only limits are the ones we set for ourselves, and that the universe wants us to keep asking for more.

I’ve learned that settling for a fraction of what we want in a relationship causes everyone to suffer, and hurts something deep in our hearts. Settling is telling the universe we don’t deserve or we don’t believe more exists for us.

My needs and priorities for relationship have grown significantly in the last year – so much so I’m willing to be single for some time before attempting another connection. It’s bittersweet that I’m giving up the convenience of easily finding partners in exchange for the work I’ll be doing on myself and on involving myself in a community of poly folk who practice highly conscious and Tantric love.

A poly (polyamorous) persun can not have a mutually pleasing relationship with a mono (monogamous) persun.

A worship-and-let worship spiritually eclectic New Age persun cannot have a mutually pleasing relationship with a proseletizing Christian.

A persun who wants to talk about difficult feelings as they occur cannot have a mutually pleasing relationship with a persun who is unaware of or suppresses their emotions, only to unleash them six hours later in a lightning storm of passive-aggressiveness, for example. (Hypothetically speaking!)

There is more to dating for me now than just companionship and high-quality bootknockery (not necessarily in that order, heh-heh! ;-).

I want to build something with someone, spiritually. I want a Taoist and Tantric partner to complete the cycle of energy we share both in and out of the boudoir. I am willing to wait until I start finding partners who match these goals. And, of course, I’m willing to try out a few to get closer to my goal!

Here are some original quotes I posted on The Facebooks and The Twitters recently as I thought about love and my most recent relationship attempt:

When we relax, trust, and behave as if we are enough, we reveal and activate the gifts that we have inside for others, and for ourselves.

For every question, doubt, and fear, call upon your heart and the angels; they will give you the best answer, reassurance, and courage.

If you have just broken up with someone who is reacting angrily, do not talk to or try to reason with them. Ignore them, and ask your angels to talk to their angels instead. Then, call upon your guardian angels and the archangels to protect you and instill peace in your heart, focusing on the mantra that All Is Well.

When ending a relationship, take time to appreciate its many gifts and lessons.

The spirit is willing, and the flesh is also holy and deserving of our honor.

You are worthy and equipped for the best that life has to offer you.

Quotes by others:

Some people come into your life for a lifetime, and some come for a season. You got to know which is which. ~Tyler Perry

"Find something good in every situation." -Meditation to Grow Through Joy by Sanaya Roman

I have everything I need right now to be happy. –Susan D. Shaffer

The world’s greatest lie: I need something outside of myself to be different in order to be happy. –Kamala Devi

What I know about dating and romantic/sexual partnership:

As above, so below: Inside attracts the same outside. Outside is unnecessary. Inside connection and self-care is paramount. Once the inside is right, the outside will be great. When we do what we love, we attract that which will love us best. We must believe we can have what we desire. We must believe in love and abundance. When we don’t completely believe, that is the time to act as is. Acting as if will attract what we are trying to believe. We must practice what we want to receive. No room for fear.

For the single among ye, here are some things that helped me the most and helped me achieve the best results in dating:

1)Changing my beliefs about men. I remember years ago, I was walking in center city Philadelphia, crossing 19th and Ben Franklin Parkway or somewhere nearby, and suddenly I realized that I thought, “Men are jerks.” I realized that even though I’d been dating nice guys, I was attracting more problems than I had to because I had this popular belief that most guys are “jerks” and I just happened to find the less jerk-y ones. I decided right then to change that, and as I crossed the street, I looked at all the men walking towards me, thinking my new phrase, “Men are wonderful.” Whereas before I saw most men as troubled and imagined my love life as a huge funnel-shaped sieve through which a few of the less troubled men would come through to me, now I saw the group of men as much more well balanced than before.

2)Find your love style.

3)Be fabulous just for yourself, and if your life is messier than usual, focus on loving yourself more.

4)Study and learn from the masters. Betty Dodson (www.DodsonAndRoss.com) teaches that we are our primary partner, that everything else is extra, and the importance for women and men to educate themselves sexually. Kamala Devi (www.KamalaDevi.com) teaches about Tantric love, open communication, relationship skills for free lovers and poly folk. Barbara Carrellas makes Tantra easy for most of us to understand (www.UrbanTantra.org).

5)Try celibacy. Different kinds of celibacy, as only you define for yourself. For instance, in the early 2000s, I noticed that my spiritual consciousness and psychic powers were significantly increased when I refrained from having orgasms. So, for a few weeks during a summer, I was sexually active, BUT I refrained. The combination was particularly strong and memorable. Of course, there are more conventional methods and motivations for celibacy. Only you can decide what you want for yourself, and change it over the years as your needs fluctuate. (You can also read more about Tantric practices to channel your sexual energy.)

6)Find or create the appropriate venues for you to meet your partner(s). Online personals, events, conferences, adult education classes, or whatever your mind can create provide wonderful opportunities to be social and put yourself where you can be found by like-minded potential dates.

7)Make space in your space. My dating life tripled very quickly years ago when I added more pillows and toothbrushes to my home. If you build or provide them, they will come! I can always tell the amount of emotional space a man is willing to put into a relationship by the size of his bed or kitchen supplies. If you live for one, your surroundings show it.

8)Do whatever it takes to love yourself and know that you are enough, no matter what your relationship status. Self-love will help you make better choices over time, and attract the best partner(s) for you.

9)Be willing to change, take healthy risks, and try new things whether single or partnered.

I am really enjoying my path of love these days, following the love that leads my teachers to teach, and using the love that’s growing in me to make better and better decisions.

Whenever I experience fear and consider making a decision from fear, I look to my love teachers, and see how they handle a particular problem.

There is a price to pay for being completely open, honest, and free in love, and the reward is exceedingly worth it!

May you all be blessed abundantly with the love that exists for each of us as surely as I write these words.

I am drinking a tonic of Bolthouse Farms brand carrot juice, water, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Sweetness of carrot really helps soften the bite, but even without it, ACV + cayenne always feels great - like it starts working immediatement! By the way, even though it's not raw, I did the math and buying a 52 oz bottle of BF carrot juice (around $6 or $7) is way way more economical and time-saving than juicing them myself. One whole pound/bag of carrots only makes enough juice to feed a tiny baby, let alone the renaissance negresse/a grown ass Paul Bunyan-type man! :-)

RECIPE:

1 empty 52 oz bottle of Bolthouse Farms brand carrot juice Fill it 1/3 full with spring, mineral, distilled, filtered or boiled-then-cooled-to-room-temperature-or-colder water (It matters not if you don't have a proper water filter. No excuses! I don't wanna hear your guff!) As much apple cider vinegar as you can stomach (I poured in maybe the equivalent of 6 tablespoons full. You're not gonna be chugging this stuff in one fell swoop - you're gonna be sipping it while you type or watch TV. Hypothetically speaking.) 4 or 5 butter/dinner knife tips-full of ground turmeric or curry seasoning powder (as long as the seasoning powder looks very yellow like turmeric) 2 knife tips of ground cayenne pepper I use the knives to easily put the powdered spices/herbs into the small-necked bottle. They're probably about 1/2 teaspoon each tipful in size. If you're a newbie, go light at first, then do more over time as your tummal reggiones become more familiar with this process.

Then, like I said, you just basically keep the bottle near you and sip and chug over the next couple of hours. I wouldn't recommend letting it hang around at room temperature for more than 3 hours.

If you internet search these ingredients you'll see they're super great for people with:

I take it for the top two. But I'm sure my tummal reggiones aka innards appreciate the last one, too.

If you want to get fancier, you can do what I do when I'm feeling more ambitious: add beet juice (also great for the blood), ground cinnamon (blood cleanser), celery juice (relaxes the arteries - great for the blood). I have also in the past included one crushed aspiring, but I'm not recommending any pharmaceutical drugs these days (although I do still take half an adult aspirin every day until I feel I am well enough to only do the natural food and herb stuff). Never let it be said!

I am drinking a tonic of Bolthouse Farms brand carrot juice, water, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Sweetness of carrot really helps soften the bite, but even without it, ACV + cayenne always feels great - like it starts working immediatement! By the way, even though it's not raw, I did the math and buying a 52 oz bottle of BF carrot juice (around $6 or $7) is way way more economical and time-saving than juicing them myself. One whole pound/bag of carrots only makes enough juice to feed a tiny baby, let alone the renaissance negresse/a grown ass Paul Bunyan-type man! :-)

RECIPE:

1 empty 52 oz bottle of Bolthouse Farms brand carrot juiceFill it 1/3 full with spring, mineral, distilled, filtered or boiled-then-cooled-to-room-temperature-or-colder water (It matters not if you don't have a proper water filter. No excuses! I don't wanna hear your guff!) As much apple cider vinegar as you can stomach (I poured in maybe the equivalent of 6 tablespoons full. You're not gonna be chugging this stuff in one fell swoop - you're gonna be sipping it while you type or watch TV. Hypothetically speaking.) 4 or 5 butter/dinner knife tips-full of ground turmeric or curry seasoning powder (as long as the seasoning powder looks very yellow like turmeric)2 knife tips of ground cayenne pepperI use the knives to easily put the powdered spices/herbs into the small-necked bottle. They're probably about 1/2 teaspoon each tipful in size. If you're a newbie, go light at first, then do more over time as your tummal reggiones become more familiar with this process.

Then, like I said, you just basically keep the bottle near you and sip and chug over the next couple of hours. I wouldn't recommend letting it hang around at room temperature for more than 3 hours.

If you internet search these ingredients you'll see they're super great for people with:

I take it for the top two. But I'm sure my tummal reggiones aka innards appreciate the last one, too.

If you want to get fancier, you can do what I do when I'm feeling more ambitious: add beet juice (also great for the blood), ground cinnamon (blood cleanser), celery juice (relaxes the arteries - great for the blood). I have also in the past included one crushed aspiring, but I'm not recommending any pharmaceutical drugs these days (although I do still take half an adult aspirin every day until I feel I am well enough to only do the natural food and herb stuff). Never let it be said!

My host familys going out to Golden Corral for dinner, and offered to treat the birthday gyal. But what does she do instead? Stay at home and make big bowl of weirdness: I sauted two small yellow onions and added a few stems of asparagus. Then when they were half done I sliced and added some mushrooms. Then I sliced four small cloves of garlic, leaving their skin on (healthy plus Im into chewing garlic skin now all by itself tasty!). Then, in a bowl, I rinsed and added half a bunch of cilantro cutting them, stem and all and putting them into the bowl. I added half a large onion, sliced. Then I stirred the veggie mixture and saw they were done. I put them on a plate, and put about a half cup of water in the hot pan. It steamed and bubbled the brown color from the stir-fry. Then I got the pot of brown rice and kale mixture from the dinner I made last night. I put some of it in the pan of hot flavored water. The steam and moisture warmed the rice and kale mixture and I stirred it up as the reggae song goeth. Then, I addressed the cold bowl of greenery and deep purple onion. (By the way, why do we call them red onions when theyre more purple? Even though purple is red plus blue. Oh the dilemma!) Onto the cilantro/red onion mixture, I splashed some apple cider vinegar, then sprinkled a generous amount of curry seasoning (which is high in the turmeric I seek for its inflammation-reducing, Alzeimers preventifyin qualificatories), and some Lite Salt (half potassium). Other medicinals of this meal: cilantro=removed heavy metals from the bloodstream, lowers blood pressure, may bring on slow or late menstruation, although not nearly as effective as its sister herb parsley. Like parsley, its also a natural internal deodorizer. Great for people like me who eat a lot of raw onion and garlic! Dont say I never learned ya nothin! Apple cider vinegar: salt substitute, lowers blood pressure, relieves acid indigestion, rich in potassium, natural deodorizer, mild detoxifier, clears the skin, and much, much more I quite frankly dont know yet but you can find online! Brown rice is high in manganese which is good for people with high blood pressure, and its also rich in fiber. Also, brown rice is such a clean food that people often fast on it. For two weeks I was eating only brown rice and steamed vegetables and I started experiencing the same detox symptoms I did when I went all raw! After doctoring up the cold bowl mixture, I put the veggie mixture from the plate into the pan of now soft and heated rice and kale. Mixed up the hot and put the hot into the cold bowl, on top of the cilantro and red aka purple onion mixture. Then I mixed up the hot and cold and started getting a wee drooly looking forward to my warm salad. I loves me some warm salad these days! Then I took out three pieces of the whole wheat apple bread pudding-ish dessert I made last night, showed my brother and my niece what I was having (Im sure they appreciated my interrupting their video game!) and went up to my room. To start watching some much-needed television! As I type, I hear the family getting ready to go out, gathering the chirren, the synthetic rustling of jackets and jangling of keys. I open to birthday cards, look at the two birthday balloons they gave me, and felt very grateful. Not minding my dinner getting cold (I hear the Germans are like that, too, and for sure being Haitian has something to do with it!), I chose to write this instead of getting my eats on right away. So, all this is to say Im looking forward to having the house to myself as I watch some Investigation Discovery channel or Seinfeld or The Laws and the Orders, or the Hallmark Channel! Yay!!! Happy Friday, everyone! Friday is the day of Venus the day of Love. Enjoy your evening!

My host family’s going out to Golden Corral for dinner, and offered to treat the birthday gyal. But what does she do instead? Stay at home and make big bowl of weirdness:

I sautéed two small yellow onions and added a few stems of asparagus. Then when they were half done I sliced and added some mushrooms. Then I sliced four small cloves of garlic, leaving their skin on (healthy plus I’m into chewing garlic skin now all by itself – tasty!). Then, in a bowl, I rinsed and added half a bunch of cilantro – cutting them, stem and all and putting them into the bowl. I added half a large onion, sliced. Then I stirred the veggie mixture and saw they were done. I put them on a plate, and put about a half cup of water in the hot pan. It steamed and bubbled the brown color from the stir-fry. Then I got the pot of brown rice and kale mixture from the dinner I made last night. I put some of it in the pan of hot flavored water. The steam and moisture warmed the rice and kale mixture and I stirred it up as the reggae song goeth. Then, I addressed the cold bowl of greenery and deep purple onion. (By the way, why do we call them “red” onions when they’re more purple? Even though purple is red plus blue. Oh the dilemma!)

Onto the cilantro/red onion mixture, I splashed some apple cider vinegar, then sprinkled a generous amount of curry seasoning (which is high in the turmeric I seek for its inflammation-reducing, Alzeimer’s preventifyin’ qualificatories), and some Lite Salt (half potassium).

Other medicinals of this meal: cilantro=removed heavy metals from the bloodstream, lowers blood pressure, may bring on slow or late menstruation, although not nearly as effective as its sister herb parsley. Like parsley, it’s also a natural internal deodorizer. Great for people like me who eat a lot of raw onion and garlic! Don’t say I never learned ya nothin’! Apple cider vinegar: salt substitute, lowers blood pressure, relieves acid indigestion, rich in potassium, natural deodorizer, mild detoxifier, clears the skin, and much, much more I quite frankly don’t know yet but you can find online! Brown rice is high in manganese which is good for people with high blood pressure, and it’s also rich in fiber. Also, brown rice is such a “clean” food that people often fast on it. For two weeks I was eating only brown rice and steamed vegetables and I started experiencing the same detox symptoms I did when I went all raw!

After doctoring up the cold bowl mixture, I put the veggie mixture from the plate into the pan of now soft and heated rice and kale. Mixed up the hot and put the hot into the cold bowl, on top of the cilantro and red aka purple onion mixture. Then I mixed up the hot and cold and started getting’ a wee drooly looking forward to my warm salad. I loves me some warm salad these days!

Then I took out three pieces of the whole wheat apple bread pudding-ish dessert I made last night, showed my brother and my niece what I was having (I’m sure they appreciated my interrupting their video game!) and went up to my room. To start watching some much-needed television!

As I type, I hear the family getting ready to go out, gathering the chirren, the synthetic rustling of jackets and jangling of keys.

I open to birthday cards, look at the two birthday balloons they gave me, and felt very grateful.

Not minding my dinner getting cold (I hear the Germans are like that, too, and for sure being Haitian has something to do with it!), I chose to write this instead of getting my eats on right away.

So, all this is to say I’m looking forward to having the house to myself as I watch some Investigation Discovery channel or Seinfeld or The Laws and the Orders, or the Hallmark Channel!

Yay!!!

Happy Friday, everyone! Friday is the day of Venus – the day of Love. Enjoy your evening!